Summertime Quinoa

I have really come to enjoy quinoa in the past year, despite the fact that I have only eaten it a small number of times. In fact, tonight was the first time I have ever cooked the South American grain. I treated it like I do rice, except this time I added some "flavor enhancers" beforehand.

I began by rendering a slice of bacon (sliced longways once, then across in 1/2 inch pieces) in a small saucepan until just before crispy. I then added a handful of chopped leeks, a large clove of minced garlic, and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes until the leeks became slightly translucent, about 3 minutes. I then threw in a small handful of minced herbs (oregano and thyme were the two I used tonight) and 1/2 cup of quinoa (I have heard that you are supposed to rinse the grains prior to cooking, however I forgot to do this and it still tasted great). I toasted the quinoa for about two minutes then added 1 cup of water and let simmer.

The quinoa simmered for about 15 or 20 minutes until there was very little (or no) standing water at the bottom of the pan.